Angel
If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (...) And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. —Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13 An angel is a celestial being serving Heaven. Michael was the first angel, followed by Lucifer and Baal. Psyche The central quality of an angel is selflessness. They are naturally attuned to the Symphony, and the breadth and clarity of their perspective gives them a certain "enlightened" quality. One expression of this Symphonic awareness is a superhuman capacity for selfless love. Angels care easily. That doesn't mean they're all feather-winged snugglebunnies prancing around distributing hugs. Symphonic love is not a Hallmark emotion; it is a primal force of oneness that holds Creation together, and it can be as terrible as it is heartwarming. Malakim, for instance, certainly have a bloody reputation. However, to understand Malakim, one must realize that their basic motivation is love for Heaven. If they didn't care, they would no longer be Malakim, because they would no longer be angels. They'd just be celestial assassins. Besides this capacity for caring, other common angelic traits include a great deal of mental and emotional energy, which can give them a "tireless goody-two-shoes" demeanor and sometimes carry them into obsession, and a propensity towards seeing universal abstracts rather than concrete specifics: "aw, fatherly affection is so nice" rather than "aw, he really cares for his daughter." Like demons, angels typically start out their lives as rather stereotypical, based on their Word and Choir. However, as they grow, they tend to develop more distinctive personalities. Abilities Angels have resonances based on their Choir, and generally also have received attunements from their Superiors. They can also learn most Songs, and use Essence to alter the Symphony. Frequency on Earth There are about 600,000 angels presently assigned to Earth - about one angel for every 10,000 humans. However, their allocation is not usually very even; several angels might be assigned to an area at once, while another area is left alone. (Or entrusted to Soldiers and/or Relievers.) Choirs Arranged in order of descending divinity. * Seraphim, the Most Holy * Cherubim, the Guardians * Ofanim, the Wheels * Elohim, the Powers * Malakim, the Virtues * Kyriotates, the Dominations * Mercurians, the Friends of Man There are other Choirs as well, but these 7 are by far the most important. Stereotypes * All angels are puritanical killjoys. See Also * Archangel * Demon * Dissonance * Disturbance * Reliever External Links * World Weavers Site: Angels * Angelic Resonances A handy quick-reference chart from SJ Games.